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Why Restaurateurs Need Business Insurance

Hot surfaces. Sharp knives. Foodborne illnesses. Patrons coming and going on a daily basis. Restaurant owners face a multitude of risks that are specific to your industry. And that’s in addition to the typical concerns most small businesses must prepare for like property damage to your premises or loss of important customer, vendor, or employee files and records. Learn about the small business insurance coverages restaurant owners like you typically need, and most often purchase, from The Hartford.

Business Owner’s Policy

Most restaurants have a Business Owner’s Policy (BOP). Why? Because a BOP can help protect your restaurant business in much the same way a homeowner’s insurance policy protects your home and personal belongings.

By combining three basic insurance coverages that are important to almost every small business, including restaurants, a Business Owner’s Policy can help cut the cost of your insurance rates while helping protect the restaurant business you’ve worked so hard to create.

General Liability – helps protect your restaurant from certain lawsuits alleging injuries or property damage that occurred as the result of your business operations. For example if a patron trips and is injured while walking in your restaurant, or a server spills food and ruins a patron’s jacket. It even helps cover certain claims of slander and libel against restaurant owners. Business Liability insurance does not cover liabilities directly arising out of the professional services your restaurant may provide.

Commercial Property – helps cover the physical location of your restaurant and the tools used for running your restaurant business, like ovens, stove tops, plates, and utensils – whether you own or lease them.

Business Income – helps cover the loss of income when you can’t run your restaurant or food business because of covered property damage.

A Business Owner’s Policy also provides an easy way to purchase additional optional coverage that can be tailored to your restaurant or food business.

Restaurants often collect sensitive employee and customer information that could include bank account, credit card, and Social Security numbers. If that information is lost or stolen, it could leave your restaurant business vulnerable to lawsuits and a damaged reputation.

Data Breach Coverage helps pay the costs of notifying impacted individuals managing public relations, good faith advertising, and more if personally identifiable information is lost or stolen from your restaurant or food business.

You're careful when you serve liquor in your restaurant, but sometimes a customer may drink too much and start a fight or cause an accident. Liquor Liability Coverage can help with your legal costs, court fees, and civil damages resulting from the sale of liquor at your restaurant.

Your restaurant depends on proper food storage but your refrigeration system may suffer a mechanical breakdown which may cause all perishable products to spoil. This coverage helps cover the cost to replace the lost stock.

If your restaurant depends on a third party to deliver goods and services and a change in their operation causes your business to lose income, Business Income from Dependent Properties coverage may help replace that lost income. For example, if your restaurant generates a large percentage of its revenue from a certain menu item and delivery of those ingredients is delayed due to a shipping error by the manufacturer, this coverage may help replace the income your restaurant loses as a result.

As part of your franchise agreement, franchise restaurants are often held to certain standards with regard to the type of equipment they may use to operate your business. If your equipment is damaged due to a covered loss and your franchiser requires it be replaced with an upgraded model, Franchise Upgrade Coverage may help cover the costs to upgrade the damaged property to franchiser standards.

It’s easy to increase your restaurant’s or food business’s Business Owner’s Policy protection at an affordable price with The Hartford’s Stretch® endorsements that bundle valuable key insurance coverages. For restaurant owners like you we offer:

Restaurant Stretch

Super Stretch for Restaurants

Super Stretch for Business Services

Contact an agent or a representative from The Hartford about these cost-effective solutions that help take the guesswork out of selecting the right coverage for your restaurant.

Additional Solutions

If you have employees, use a car for work, or work from home, your restaurant business may also benefit from:

Workers’ compensation insurance coverage is required by most states and can provide benefits to your restaurant employees for work-related injuries or illnesses. Benefits include medical care, wages from lost work time, and more. And if the worker’s family should decide to sue you, workers’ compensation insurance coverage can help you with related legal fees.

Restaurants and food businesses are among the many small businesses that have been turning to The Hartford for workers’ compensation insurance coverage for more than a century.

Do you use your car to pick up food, restaurant supplies, dishware, or cleaning products, to attend business meetings, industry conferences, or more for your restaurant business? A Business Auto Policy provides coverage typically not included in a personal auto insurance policy. It can cover you or an employee when a personally owned vehicle, used for business purposes, is involved in an accident.

Certain coverages vary by state and may not be available to all businesses. All Hartford coverages and services described on this page may be offered by one or more of the property and casualty insurance company subsidiaries of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. In TX, this insurance is written by Sentinel Insurance Company, Ltd., Hartford Casualty Insurance Company, Hartford Lloyd’s Insurance Company, Property and Casualty Insurance Company of Hartford, Hartford Underwriters Insurance Company, Twin City Fire Insurance Company, Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company and Hartford Fire Insurance Company. In CA by Sentinel Insurance Company, Ltd. (CA license # 8701) and its property and casualty insurance company affiliates, One Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT 06155.

The Hartford® is The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. and its property and casualty subsidiaries, including issuing company, Hartford Fire Insurance Company. Its headquarters is in Hartford, CT.